There’s recently been a lot of hype about visiting Portugal. Perhaps their tourism board is really cranking it up, especially on social media. Anyways, we succumbed to the hype and decided to check it out. I’ll be brutally honest ... love the Portuguese people. They’ve got to be some of the friendliest, nicest and warmest people we’ve ever met. Everyone is so nice. That said, I wouldn’t recommend coming to Portugal as a single destination. I would definitely combine it with Spain and even Morocco on a 2 or 3 week vacation. We Americans get only 2 weeks at a time so we have to plan carefully. I don’t think I planned this trip well.

We spent 4 nights in Lisbon and that was one night too many even with a day trip to Cascais. There are truly no “must-see” sights in Lisbon so that makes it truly low key and not stressful like other destinations in Europe.

Got to go... to be continued

I guess it depends how much time you have. I spent nine days in Portugal last month (first trip). That was all the time I had this year for Europe, and I wouldn't have wanted to spend less than that or try to add a side visit to Spain or something. I stayed in Lisbon, Coimbra, Porto plus side trips to Cascais, Sintra, Tomar, and Nazare. If I had had three weeks, then adding Spain would have made more sense.

Lisbon was my favorite city; Nazare was my favorite town. I had four nights in Lisbon too, and that did not seem too many, when you consider the day trips. With more days, I could have done more day trips. That said, I didn't really fall in love with Lisbon or Portugal. It isn't a place that screams, "Come back soon!" to me like other places I've visited. Lisbon sure has gotten super busy with tourists - and that was a bit off-putting (but not surprising). If I were going back, I'd spend more time in the smaller towns (I'd love to go back to Nazare) and less in the cities.

I agree it’s not a country that screams come back.

Lisbon was very busy with tourists but sometimes it seemed like there weren’t many people too. We went to Belém to see the monuments there including the monestary. We started our day at the time-out market and sampled several Portuguese dishes. Loved the market eand we also tried the pasteis de nata there. It was delicious just like the one in Belém (sorry but I didn’t find much of a difference between the two).

We traveled there using the metro and went back using Uber. We used Uber throughout our trip in Portugal. The only place there was no Uber was Coimbra. In Sintra, it saved us a considerable amount of time and money. The bus 434 is 6.90 euros for 24 hours to see the sights. We used Uber and (for the 4 of us) paid about 11 Euros (not to mention we weren’t squeezed like sardines). We used a taxi once in Porto (our phone battery died) and we were pleasantly surprised that it cost the same as Uber, the driver took credit card and it was just as convenient. Anyways, I digress..

We started our trip by going to visit the Moorish palace (more like a fortress) in Lisbon. There were peacocks all over the grounds and they were very interesting to watch. The views of Lisbon are beautiful from here. We walked up the hills to get there and used a random elevator to get down. It really wasn’t that steep of a walk. We never rode the trams as they were just packed with tourists all the time. Lisbon is a walkable city if you are in decent shape. Mass transportation is easy to figure out. Besides Uber, we used the metro to go to Belém and Cascais.

We started our trip with a free walking tour of Lisbon (chill out lisbon or something like that). I had high expectations that were soon crushed. The tour guide was very boring and talked about the most trivial things (“see all the clothing hanging outside the windows?” “Do u know the difference between green and red wine?” Blah blah). It seemed like he was trying way too hard to be unique that he was failing miserably at what a tourist would want to hear. Just take me to the most important spots and tell me the history, culture and travel tips. About 20 minutes into it, we ditched it. I know, I know. You aren’t supposed to do that. I’m paying a lot of money to cross the Atlantic and my time is limited. The group was too big and we could barely hear him. He just rambled way too much nonsense.

So then we did our own walking tour through the Alfama and Baixa neighborhoods. To be honest, it’s very doable on your own. We saw the main square and took a stroll along the river. It was quite lovely. My girls love to shop so we did that for one of the day (Liberdade Avenue is similar to the Champs in Paris and it makes for a nice stroll).

We did a day trip to Cascais and walked to the Boca De Ferno (waves crashing on rocks and cliffs). It’s relaxing. I’m glad we went to Cascais even though it’s not “fabulous” it does make a nice day trip to the ocean.

After 4 nights in Lisbon (my girls stayed at the Turim hotel near the river and we were at the Sheraton Lisboa) we were ready to leave. We took an Uber to Sintra and stayed at the Sintra Boutique hotel (highly recommend for friendly staff, perfect location and great value). We stayed 1 night and I regret we didn’t stay one or even two more nights! There is so much to do and this is a beautiful place to enjoy. Why it gets recommended as a day trip really perplexes me. Don’t make this stupid mistake and you really do not need a group tour either. It’s quite small and very doable on your own.

Buy your tickets at the tourist information office (don’t be stupid and wait for the booths at the sights). You can buy various combination tickets. We bought tickets to see the outside/gardens of the Pena Palace and the Moorish palace. We’ve visited way too many palaces and I was told inside the Pena isn’t memorable so I’m glad we skipped (long line for the inside). It’s a beautiful palace and the gardens are pretty too. Sintra is like a fairy tale place. It’s delightful. Be sure to walk to various spots where u can get great views of Pena. After a short walk, we arrived at the Moorish palace and wow it was amazing. The views of Sintra are breathtaking. Really loved climbing this sight. We also caught a group rehearsing for a concert in front of the National Palace and that was fun to watch. We had dinner at a restaurant called Incommin and it was perfect. Delicious good food and friendly service. Again, really wished we had stayed longer.

We took an Uber to the Oriente train station to take our train to Coimbra. Coimbra was a mistake. We stayed at the Tivoli hotel which was decent for a one night stay but a little walking distance away from the center. We walked to the university and around the old town and along the river. It was a very sleepy (“dead”) city and this was on a Saturday! The best thing about this part of our trip was our dinner at a restaurant (Solar something). The service was friendly and the food tasted good. I would definitely recommend skipping Coimbra. We should’ve gone to Obidos as another day trip from Lisbon. I know some people love to say how such and such is a “tourist trap” but there’s a good reason why tourists flock to certain places. There’s nothing like Obidos where we live. On the other hand, Coimbra looks like a typical boring residential neighborhood. I really hope this info will help someone else reading this!

The next morning we took a train to Porto. So, Porto is another city that I was actually confused about when doing my planning. I kept thinking it didn’t sound appealing (“gritty” is how many guidebooks described it and that wasn’t attractive to me). However, so many itineraries recommended it that I caved in and really thought it would exceed my low expectations. Nah, it didn’t. Maybe it’s the cloudy weather? We haven’t seen the sun at all. We walked by the river, the bridges, the old town, visited the stock exchange, the churches and even the Foz beaches and everything has us underwhelmed. We don’t drink so the wine,etc is not a magnet for us.

We’ve been in Porto for 2 nights now and I have no idea what we will do tomorrow. That’s where we are now Like I said, Portugal has been a bit disappointing and underwhelming but I do like the very friendly people. I just don’t think I planned it well... maybe I listened too much to advice from sources who didn’t have the same interests like me? No idea. We go to Barcelona for 5 days so I’m really looking forward to that. The seafood in Portugal is delicious though I’m all cod-fished out.

I was there three nights. That was too many because it rained the last two days, and the day trips I had been planning made no sense. But I was planning to go to the Douro Valley by train just for the scenery one day and (much shorter) to the seaside at Foz by tram. I didn't see any point in walking out on the beach with umbrella, after I'd already seen beautiful Nazare a few days earlier in good weather.

I would agree that there isn't a lot to do and see in Porto proper. The scenery from the bridge down on the Porto waterfront is amazing - an easy postcard shot if you get out there in good weather (unfortunately, I didn't). I assume you explored the Sao Bento train station interior for the amazing frescos?

On this point, I would disagree with you. I will concede that, yes, Coimbra lacks many sights and doesn't take a lot of time to see, but the old town is much older than say Lisbon's (which was mostly destroyed in the 1755 earthquake). It's narrow old streets going up the hill are really cool. I'm trying to imagine what you mean by "typical boring residential neighborhood?" You mean the lower town away from the old center? I loved the great views down on the river and land below from the top by the university. I also enjoyed some of the old shops along the main drag at the bottom - some of them felt very "retro" and funky.

Coimbra's riverfront is disappointing for sure. You can see it would make a great park if they would develop it more.

Coimbra's old university is one of the oldest in Europe. You can tour the inside of some of the buildings - did you? Kids were graduating while I was there last month, walking around in their gowns - really cool. Coimbra is an important part of Portugal's history. The dictator Salazar was a professor there before he became the ruler of the country for half of the 20th century. You can see his influence on his old university when he erected big fascist buildings to expand the university - quite a contrast to the old neighborhood around them.

I appreciated the fact that Coimbra wasn't touristy, after the mobs of tourists in Lisbon and Sintra. What a relief! I liked the town's chill vibe. I had two nights there but did a long day trip (by bus) out to Nazare for half the day - LOVED it. Two nights in Coimbra was more than I needed otherwise, because there just wasn't a lot to see.

(I think you ate at Restaurante Solar do Bacalhau. I walked past it, never got to eat there.)

I see on a map that the Tivoli hotel is a bit away from the center - wonder if that flavored your impression of Coimbra a bit? i stayed close to the small train station (close to the Solar do Bacalhau) and found that really convenient to everything.

@Andrew, I agree with a lot of what you said... regretting we didn’t go to Nazare. Yes, our hotel choice probably also played a role in our perception of Coimbra but I think it has more to do with school being out actually. There were no students and the university was pretty much closed when we visited. I’ve been to other “old universities” like Oxford and the Sorbonne and they were more lively. However, school was in session. Nonetheless, I am not convinced Coimbra is worth a stop for the tourist

Today we saw the Sao Bento train station (takes less than 10 minutes to see it), walked all around the center of Porto so we also saw the famous bookstore and even what someone on YouTube claimed was one of the most beautiful McDonald’s in the world (it’s not, we fell for that so it was 60 seconds of our lives wasted lol). What I did enjoy today was the pretty park (Gardens of the Crystal Palace). There are free roaming peacocks and the views of the river are pretty.

Emphasis added. You got what you paid for, no grounds for complaint.

i am surprised to read about people who visit Coimbra and do not visit the Roman ruins at Conimbriga, and visit Porto and do not visit the port caves across the river.

I took the same walking tour with Chill Out in Lisbon (different guide - mine was a woman), and her tour was just fine: a good overview of Lisbon. (It was my arrival day and I was jetlagged - it kept me awake!) I stayed the whole three hours. These guides get paid in tips so they have an incentive to provide a good tour or they don't make much money. Obviously some guides are better than others.

Not everyone is excited by ruins. I've seen plenty of Roman ruins in Europe - just ddidn't feel the need to go out of my way to see any more. Seeing Pont du Gard last year in Provence was different - I really love bridges, and it was terrific.

Everyone is different, and that is a good thing, right? Otherwise, the world would be a boring place if we all liked the same thing.

We spent 5 nights in Lisbon in April, and we fell in love with the city! We were never bored. It’s just the right size for walking and wandering.We wandered through all the neighborhoods and stopped at several miradouros. Regarding sights, it depends on what you like. One of our favorite sights is the Gulbenkian Museum. One of our favorite days was the day we spent visiting the castle (Sao Jorge) and then wandering
all over Alfama, and bought the cherry liquor from an elderly lady who set up shop under a shade tree in a small square. We enjoyed Belem, especially the monastery, ,which I think is outstanding. Also enjoyed the coach Museum and taking the elevator to the top of the Discoveries Monument. Had a delicious lunch on the river in Belem. Visited 2 small churches in Lisbon proper and enjoyed walking down Liberdade.

Forgot to add that I do agree with you about Sintra. We booked a tour to Sintra and Cascais,, which we normally don’t do. But this was the end of a 3-week trip and we were getting tired, so decided to book a tour. We enjoyed Sintra and what little we saw of Cascais. BUT I wish we had the time to spend a night or two in Sintra. It is very crowded during the day with bus tours, so it must be nice to stay overnight and experience Sintra after the day trippers have left.

We didn’t have time to visit other parts of Portugal, so can’t comment on other places. But we loved Lisbon and I would like to return to Portugal some day to visit other parts of the country.

I can certainly imaging going back to Lisbon someday (maybe off season). A month after I was there, as I go through my Lisbon pictures, I realize how much character its rambling hilly neighborhoods have. In fact, I could almost imagine living in Lisbon, which might seem like an odd thing to say about a place I didn't fall in love with. Somehow it felt livable. But for me, it wasn't the kind of place that goes to the top of my list of places to return to as a tourist (unlike say Venice, Ljubljana, Paris, etc.) Yes, we all have personal preferences.

I think if i ever return, I'll focus on the smaller towns in Portugal. As I mentioned above, I loved my brief visit to Nazare, and I'd love to hit up a few non-touristy coastal towns. (Nazare is not untouristy.) I loved little Tomar too, a town I stopped at on the way north. Porto for some reason isn't a place I feel like I'd want to go back to - just didn't click with me. Lisbon was more crowded and more touristy but also more appealing. I can imagine spending a night or two in SIntra, too.

So you arrived on the 23rd! Did you enjoy the festivities? "São João" is really a crazy night!

We spent 3 nights Lisbon, 2 nights Cascais, and one night in Fatima last year before heading to Barcelona. We loved Portugal and commented that we would come back. I felt like we didn't have enough time to really see Portugal. The people were friendly, food was great and cheap, lots to see, etc.. I really enjoyed our time in Portugal.

Well, actually, the guidebooks and travel vloggers all seemed to encourage these free walking tours. Plus, they are not ´free, free´¨. You are expected to pay a donation which is around 10 dollars.
Why are you surprised? What you´ve seen, others may have seen even more astounding ruins. We´ve been to many many Roman ruins and i frankly didn´t care to see the ones near Coimbra because we´ve already seen far IMO more amazing ones.

I don't care who or what "encourages" "free" walking tours. I think they are a con as they are not free (there is a thread about this) and you certainly have no guarantee as to the ability of the "guide". If you pay for the guide and the tour is bad you have grounds for complaint, if payment is optional you do not.

I, too, have seen a lot of Roman ruins, from Hadrian's Wall to Volubilis and Conimbriga to Jerash, and plenty in between. One reason I liked Conimbriga was because the fountains still worked.

I have taken five or six of the free tours in Europe. Most of them have been at least good, sometimes great. Not all guides are equal, and not all companies are equal. They have been at least as good as the "paid" tours I have taken. I still prefer the free tours because the guide has an incentive to do a good job - and if not, you can leave. One of the worst tours I remember was the paid tour I took in Ghent, Belgium. The guide was just deadly dull, even though she seemed knowledgeable. Of course, because I had paid up front, I felt obligated to stay for the whole thing. Had it been "free" I would have left about halfway through.